


Be the Bean

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2019 [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, First Meetings, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 13:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for AU prompt:Any, any m/m, coffee shop AUIn which Rodney gets hit on by the barista at a new coffee shop...but not the one he expected.





	Be the Bean

“Rodney Blue Eyes!” the perky blonde barista called out.

“I think that’s you,” Laura said with a grin. She was patiently waiting for her tea to steep.

No-one else was making a move toward the counter, so maybe it _was_ for Rodney.

“Triple espresso shot?” the barista asked. She handed the tall insulated cup over. “Enjoy.”

Rodney took his coffee back to the table. “Do you think she was flirting with me?”

Laura shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”

Rodney tried to make eye contact with the barista, but she was already off doing something else. 

“So, what do you think? I told you this place was good.”

Rodney shrugged and took a tentative sip of his coffee. It wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t sure it was worth taking the bus so far from campus.

“Try this.” Laura pushed a pastry at him, something that looked like a deformed turnover sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

“What’s in it?”

“I made sure it was citrus-free. Just try it.”

Rodney wasn’t about to just eat a mystery pastry without checking it first. He tore it into ragged, flaky halves to reveal a filling that looked like chocolate cream. He scooped a little out on his finger to taste.

“Oh. Wow.”

“Told you.” Laura gave him a smug smile as she squeezed out her teabag.

The filling of the pastry was some sort of creamy chocolate-coffee blend that called all of Rodney’s taste buds to attention. “This is amazing.”

“I was thinking this could be our new place,” Laura said.

“We’ll see.” But Rodney already knew he’d be back. “Okay, let’s take a look at your math exam.”

Rodney was Laura’s math tutor. She had a firm grasp of the basics, but she was pushing herself by taking higher level courses each semester. In return, she tried to help him gain a better grasp of social niceties, so he might have a chance at a successful relationship someday.

It was slow going.

*o*o*o*

“Rodney Blue Eyes!”

Rodney retrieved his coffee and lingered at the counter, trying to catch the girl’s eye, but she seemingly forgot all about him the second she handed over his order.

“I don’t think it’s her,” Laura said.

“Who else would it be?”

Laura scanned the counter. “What about _that_ guy?”

“Who? Mr. All-American?”

“He’s cute.”

“Too cute,” Rodney corrected. “He’s way out of my league.”

The guy was undeniably handsome, with short dark hair and blue eyes – always a winning combo in Rodney’s book – and a set of dimples that he flashed around a lot.

“Your league? We’re not talking about bowling, Rodney. There’s nothing wrong with aiming high when you’re dating. Besides, it’s not as if you’re Quasimodo.” 

Despite that rousing endorsement, Rodney was all too aware that his hair was a mess and his clothes were rumpled. He never spent much time on his physical appearance because he was more worried about his graduate studies. Great minds weren’t expected to be sexy.

“Oh, hello!” Laura crowed. She turned Rodney’s cup around to show a rough marker sketch on the opposite side. It was a cell phone with numbers displayed on the screen. “Someone definitely likes you.”

Rodney looked back at the guy behind the counter, startled to find he was staring back at Rodney. Damn. He really was handsome, even wearing the red _Be The Bean_ apron and matching hat.

“He just winked at me!” Rodney hissed to Laura. “What do I do?”

“Don’t wink back, you look ridiculous when you try that. Just smile at him.”

Rodney offered the counter guy a tentative smile, feeling painfully self-conscious as he did so. He was rewarded with dimples. Five minutes later a plate of complimentary pastries was delivered to the table.

“This is a guy worth knowing,” Laura said appreciatively. 

Rodney re-read the phone number on his cup. And memorized it.

*o*o*o*

“Rodney Blue Eyes!”

Mr. Handsome was waiting at the counter, holding Rodney’s coffee. When he passed it over their fingers briefly touched.

“I lost my name tag,” he said. “Or you’d already know I’m Evan. I was hoping you’d call.”

“I’m not very good at this,” Rodney admitted.

“That’s okay. You don’t have to be.” Evan leaned forward on the counter. “You’re a student at the university, right? I’m an art major there.”

Fine arts. That was a little disappointing. “I’m in grad school. Astrophysics and engineering.”

“I could tell you were smart,” Evan said with a grin. And okay, the dimples went a long way toward mitigating that disappointment. “I’d love to sketch you. You have good lines. Strong features, and a really great mouth.”

Rodney blushed. No-one had ever told him that before.

“I have a break in half an hour. If you want to wait around.”

“Yeah. That, uh, that would be okay.”

The dimples flashed again. “Great! Here. Have a pastry. I noticed you like them.”

“Like isn’t strong enough of a word, actually. These are amazing.”

“I’ll let my grandma know. It’s her recipe.”

“You made these?” Rodney asked incredulously. 

Evan waggled his fingers. “You’d be surprised what I can do with my hands. See you in a few!” He went back to work, leaving Rodney at the counter with his mouth hanging open. 

Rodney was going to have to revise his opinion on art majors.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** This might be my first McLorne fic. I went with that pairing because the prompter is a fan of that pairing. And it's never a bad thing to try something new. ::grins::


End file.
